Although there is no official tracking of deaths from marijuana, the number of deaths arising from today’s high-potency THC climbed because of state campaigns to legalize it in 2010 and 2012, followed by commercialization in 2014.
Victims’ stories come from news reports as well as the families of marijuana victims. Several non-profits developed since 2012 brought awareness to the victims: Parents Opposed to Pot, DUID Victims’ Voices, Every Brain Matters, Moms Strong, Johnny’s Ambassadors, One Chance to Grow Up, Smart Approaches to Marijuana and Jennifer’s Messengers. This project includes their people and brings all the work to one place. News sources such as Rocky Mountain PBS’s Insight with John Ferruggia told truths from which much of the media stayed away.
Sally Schindel, mother of Andy Zorn was one of the first parents to step forward, and advocate against marijuana knowing that it caused her son’s suicide at age 31 in 2014. An army veteran, former paratrooper and once joyful man, Andy told his mom the just days before that he needed to conquer his cannabis addiction. His suicide note states.
“Marijuana killed my soul + ruined my brain. I am doing everyone a favor.” A dispensary had supplied him with “medical” marijuana using false pretenses. As the potency of marijuana increased in the 21st century, so did the dangers associated with its use.
The legalization, normalization and commercialization of cannabis is a massive mistake. As the potency of marijuana increased over the last two decades, so did the dangers associated with its use. Initially, the public would not have voted for cannabis legalization if there hadn’t been massive amounts of money devoted to it by billionaires, plus an industry trying to make money off of addicting people and deceiving them.
The US government took too long to acknowledge and correct its mistakes with the opioid crisis. We’re doing the same thing with cannabis, as the number of victims increases.
If you want to add a victim’s story, please write to info@weedsofwrath.com.